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MilCatHerald: Take 5 with Archbishop Listecki

A couple interesting ones

2. What motivated you to play the guitar as a child – were you self motivated or did your parents have to tell you to practice?

I picked the guitar up actually in college. I played piano when I was a kid growing up, and that was under the aegis of my mother. My mother sang in a choir. She had a beautiful voice so there was a tremendous appreciation for music by her, and she wanted that to be shared with her children. The exposure to the arts was important for my mom so, therefore, piano lessons. My sister and I both took piano, that was a part of us. When I went to college, the guitar was the instrument. There was a group that played for Masses. The secret of the guitar is if you learn four chords you could play 150,000 songs, mostly popular rock songs. The four chords and a progression, you can pretty much play a lot. Music is a wonderful aspect that helps individuals. It lifts the spirit of individuals in this world and helps them express things that are inexpressible any other way.

3. As a former basketball coach, how do you feel about Marquette and several other Catholic universities joining a basketball-only conference?

I’m glad for Marquette. Oftentimes, when you get a university that chooses not to participate in a major sport like football, it becomes a secondary child of the league. Many of our Catholic institutions, with the exception obviously of Notre Dame and maybe Boston College, have programs that are not as well-known in terms of football, nor are Catholic universities prone to support the amount of money that goes into a football program. But then basketball becomes a significant sport on those campuses. I’m happy that Marquette will be with others that share similar status and I don’t think it’ll be hurt by it at all. In fact, hopefully, it’ll enhance Marquette’s status.

... There's nothing wrong with the guitar, other than musicians strum it instead of actually playing it. In fact, there are traditional Spanish Masses done with guitar, but it is played properly. There's no place for guitar here during Mass, but there is outside of Mass.

Of Interest

Benedict

Benedict, while the "father of the new liturgical movement" (in my estimation at any rate), is not the new liturgical movement; as such the new liturgical movement does not die with the end of his papacy.